A busy month of meetings and dinners with action overcoming illness and family issues as civil rights and public policies issues dominate with the Miners being put down and anti-nuclear demonstrations and whistle blowing not being tolerated as a Sterling crisis hits despite ever higher interest rates. I still complete my property purchases, investments and trust/tax planning moves. African famines, Athens and Paris bombs, IRA killings and a tragic air crash all depress the month’s sentiment
Thus ends the month and one which was cold and snowy at times with night frosts of -10degC freezing the Great Ouse solid but it ended up quite mild with temperatures up to 13degC. The family are ill with Daniella the worst with her bad cold. My tax planning, woodlands acquisition, family trusts and investments are proceeding well and my portfolio is well invested. The bad weather has cleared and we are awaiting the return of The Lady and some enjoyment of the river this season. I am able to start work on the Riverside land and the architects start planning the house connections to form The Hayling View. The BMMG press conference is planned for next week and group affairs are successful, but needing further members – particularly of the larger companies. I am enjoying a rather busier lifestyle now and am in increasing demand for dinner speeches and radio and TV interviews, attending PITCOM, ExportIT ECIF as well as public and private industry dinners where I am asked to assume a leadership role. I will have to balance my time well this summer for this computer industry role if it does not become overpowering. My parents and sister in good shape with Mum recovering from her heart operation.
At home, the Miners strike comes to a head as the anti-nuclear demonstration sites are cleared by a mass army and police presence. Thatcher is castigated in Parliament for deceit over the Clive Pontin whistle-blowing revenge treatment and then embrarks on £13bn social security cuts as a Sterling crisis hits. Acorn is sold to Olivetti as a blow to the British Micro industry. There are famines in Africa, IRA murders in Ulster, bombs in Athens and Paris. Spain opens the Gibralter border after much past aggravation but Nelson Mandela holds out for his convictions amidst rising unrest in South Africa and New Zealand bans US nuclear craft . 148 people die in the Bilbao air crash.